10 Things Airlines will not tell you...

This is a revised 2014 version of the "10 things...", so before April fools day, here they are:

1) We want to put your travel agent out of business.  They work for you not for us.
2) We get to keep a good chunk of taxes/airport fees on unused non-refundable tickets.
3) We will nickel you and dime you any way we can.
4) We know so much about you, you may think it's creepy.
5) Your "loyalty" means nothing to us.  Your dollars is all we care about.
6) Your miles will continue to depreciate, expire and will be worth less and less. We make the rules.
7)  Our regional pilots and crew make close to minimum wage.
8) We are the judge and the jury.  Your complaints don't matter that much.
9) We are in cahoots and we raise prices in tandem without any regard to price fixing.
10) With so few domestic airlines, you really don't have much in terms of choices.
11) Our baggage handlers may treat your luggage like garbage bags and may pilfer them too.

Okay, so that's 11...

Airlines Complicating and Contradicting Baggage Rules

Airlines have continuously experimented with ways to speed up the boarding process.  Experiments such as boarding from the back to the front or from window to aisle have not shown material efficiency or time savings.  Passengers continue to find ways to game the process by bringing on board more than airlines allow and causing delays when the overhead bins become full, a frequent occurrence.  Airlines also further complicate and contradict the process as they devise new ways to collect fees directly and indirectly.  The direct approach is to charge passengers fees for carrying on board additional items.  In addition, airlines and their credit card partners tout card amenities such as priority boarding.  These cards with priority boarding have become so prevalent that airlines are defeating their own efforts of boarding from back to front or window to aisle.  Until policies are streamlined and until decision makes realize that the top priority is the speed of boarding, avoiding delays and on-board passenger confrontations and fighting over bin space, this problem will never go away. www.premieretravel.com

Checked Baggage: Know Before You Go

Travelers contemplating checking bulky baggage must be aware that the following cities do not permit checked baggage in excess of 70 lbs. (32 kg):

• Athens, Greece (ATH)

• Belfast, United Kingdom (BFS)

• Birmingham, United Kingdom (BHX)

• Brussels, Belgium (BRU)

• Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB)

• Edinburgh, United Kingdom (EDI)

• Glasgow, United Kingdom (GLA)

• Istanbul, Turkey (IST)

• Lima, Peru (LIM)

• London, United Kingdom (LHR)

• Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN)

Note: Information is subject to change without notice.

United Enforces Carry-On Bag Limits

Technically, it has always been the rule, but some passengers will always try to push the limits.  United Airlines will stop oversized carry-ons before they make it to  security check.  In case they make it past security, gate agents have been instructed to send passengers with over-sized bags back to ticket counter and pay the check-in fee.

From United.com

Carry-on baggage allowed

Each traveler can bring on board one carry-on bag plus one personal item free of charge.

• Maximum dimensions for a carry-on bag are 9 inches x 14 inches x 22 inches (22 cm x 35 cm x 56 cm), including handles and wheels
• Maximum dimensions for your personal item, such as a shoulder bag, backpack, laptop bag or other small item, are 9 inches x 10 inches x 17 inches (22 cm x 25 cm x 43 cm)

Please see our Carry-on Baggage page for more information.

Checked baggage

To determine first and second checked baggage service charges for your itinerary, use the baggage calculator below. Please note that as required by U.S. Department of Transportation regulations, baggage service charges for your entire itinerary are determined by the marketing carrier for the first segment of your itinerary. Your originating marketing carrier is the airline whose flight number is assigned to the first segment of your itinerary. If this carrier is not United or United Express, different charges may apply. Baggage service charges are based on the date of ticketing.

Checked baggage service charges apply at any point where bags are checked. For a trip that includes one or more connections, bags will be checked to your final destination, and the charge for checking a bag from your origin to your destination will apply. For a trip that includes a voluntary stopover, your bags will be checked to your stopover point, where you will collect your bags. When you resume travel, subject to applicable charges, you may check your bags again from the new point of check-in to the destination.

Temporary or permanent baggage embargoes, based on size, weight or number of bags, may be in place at certain airports. See our Excess Baggage Embargo page for details.

Service charge exemptions

Some customers are exempt from certain checked baggage service charges for bags within specified size and weight limits. For specific exemption details relating to your itinerary, select the appropriate status or membership from the dropdown list in the baggage calculator above. Note that exemptions cannot be combined to provide waived charges for additional bags. In the case of multiple exemptions, the greater of the allowances will apply.

U.S. military exemptions

• Active U.S. military personnel and their accompanying dependents, not traveling on official business, receive waived service charges for up to three checked bags.
• Active U.S. military personnel and their dependents traveling in United Economy on official business receive waived service charges for up to four checked bags
• Active U.S. military personnel and their dependents traveling in United Global First^SM, United BusinessFirst®, United First® or United Business® on official business receive waived service charges for up to five checked bags.
• Dependents traveling with active U.S. military personnel are also exempt as long as they are traveling in the same reservation. This exemption will not apply to group reservations including ten or more customers.

Other baggage service charges

Excess baggage

Bags checked in addition to the traveler's baggage allowance.
Checked baggage allowance may vary depending on cabin, status level, military status, itinerary and date of purchase.
From $125 to $200 per bag
Learn more

Oversized baggage

Checked bags in excess of 62 linear inches* (158 linear cm) to 115 linear inches (292 linear cm)
Maximum size allowed may vary depending on cabin, status level, military status, itinerary and date of purchase.
*linear measurement = length + width + height
$200 per bag
Learn more

Overweight baggage

Checked bags weighing more than 50 pounds (23 kg) to 70 pounds (32 kg)
Maximum weight allowed may vary depending on cabin, status level, military status, itinerary and date of purchase.
From $100 to $200 per bag

Checked bags weighing more than 70 pounds (32 kg) to 99.9 pounds (45 kg)
Maximum weight allowed may vary depending on cabin, status level, military status, itinerary and date of purchase.
Up to $400 per bag
Learn more